Latest Sad News Update! From CNA: JAKARTA :Two near simultaneous explosions went off Saturday in the popular Indonesian resort island of Bali with at least three foreigners reported injured, police and radio reports said Saturday.
The first explosion occurred at 1200 GMT in the Jimbaran area of Bali in front of beachside coffee shops, local policeman Nyoman Suwita told AFP. Minutes later another blast also took place in front of coffee shops at the Matahari Square shopping center in the popular beach resort area of Kuta, Suwita said.
Witnesses said they saw at least three foreigners being assisted by locals following the blast in the beach area which houses a lot of restaurants, ElShinta radio reported. "The explosion in Bali is reported to have taken place in a very crowded area, so if obviously it is confirmed to be a bomb, then it is aimed at causing as much casualties and ... as many victims as possible," foreign ministry spokesman Marty Natalegawa told the BBC.
"At this time we are very much trying to secure the area, and trying to save those who have been injured," he said, adding that the two blasts occurred about 10 minutes apart. Bali suffered bomb attacks on two popular Kuta nightclubs on October 12, 2002 that killed 202 people, many of them foreign tourists including 88 Australians, and injured hundreds of others.
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had called for tighter security in the
world's most populous Muslim nation during September and October, saying these appeared to
be favoured months for terror acts. He said the possibility of more attacks remained real since two of the key bombers accused of being behind the Bali attacks, Malaysians Azahari Husin and Noordin Mohammad Top, remain on the loose.
Both are believed to have played key roles in the Bali bombings, the August 2003 bomb blast at the Marriott hotel in Jakarta and the suicide van bomb blast in front of the Australian embassy in September. All the attacks are blamed on Jemaah Islamiyah which is believed to be the Southeast Asian arm of Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda network. Three militants have been sentenced to death for their part in the Bali bombings and two others are serving life sentences for the attacks. - AFP /c
In Singapore...SOME time in November or December, bomb blasts will be heard in as many as four MRT stations
here. The Ministry of Home Affairs wants to know how well- prepared Singaporeans are if
terrorists strike and, unlike other SCDF exercises, Singaporeans won't have a choice as to
whether or not they want to take part.
There will be no warning, no schedule. If you happen to be a commuter at the selected stations — and the exercise is likely to take place during peak hours — Deputy Prime
Minister Wong Kan Seng is waiting to see how ready you are.
"Please cooperate with us, please carry on as normal, but at the same time please play a
part. But as to when it will happen, we will not say — there is no warning by terrorists
before they bomb a station," said Mr Wong in an exclusive interview with Today.
In fact, when he heard about the July 7 terror attacks on London's subway trains, his
thoughts turned naturally to Singapore.."I thought, despite all the preparations they've made, it has happened to them. Which means, despite all the preparations that we're making, or have made, it can happen to us," said Mr Wong, who is also the Home Affairs Minister.
He commended the London authorities and Londoners for the way in which they dealt with the
attacks. Would Singaporeans be as brave? "I hope they would respond the same way," said Mr
Wong..The exercise in November may offer some clues, though officials here started taking notes
much earlier..Soon after the London blasts, a team of police officers from Singapore visited London to see
what lessons could be drawn from the tragedy.
Mr Wong was coy about sharing details. "The last thing you want to do is to let the enemy
know what you're doing.".But he added: "We've learned a lot. And in time, we'll share that with others … But looking
at how Londoners reacted to the bombing, and how they went about their normal lives, I think
that is something Singaporeans should learn."
His greatest fear is that if, or when, terrorists succeed in hitting Singapore, its citizens
will flee. "We have to make sure that we can't be defeated by this," he said. "If a bomb
explodes and (people) run away, I think the terrorists will have won. We cannot let
ourselves be defeated by our own doing; we have to stand up and say: 'No, we must persist
and we must carry on.'" — Teo Hwee Nak SOME time in November or December, bomb blasts will
be heard in as many as four MRT stations here. The Ministry of Home Affairs wants to know
how well- prepared Singaporeans are if terrorists strike and, unlike other SCDF exercises,
Singaporeans won't have a choice as to whether or not they want to take part.
There will be no warning, no schedule. If you happen to be a commuter at the selected
stations — and the exercise is likely to take place during peak hours — Deputy Prime
Minister Wong Kan Seng is waiting to see how ready you are.
"Please cooperate with us, please carry on as normal, but at the same time please play a
part. But as to when it will happen, we will not say — there is no warning by terrorists
before they bomb a station," said Mr Wong in an exclusive interview with Today.
In fact, when he heard about the July 7 terror attacks on London's subway trains, his
thoughts turned naturally to Singapore.."I thought, despite all the preparations they've made, it has happened to them. Which means, despite all the preparations that we're making, or have made, it can happen to us," said Mr Wong, who is also the Home Affairs Minister.
He commended the London authorities and Londoners for the way in which they dealt with the
attacks. Would Singaporeans be as brave? "I hope they would respond the same way," said Mr
Wong..The exercise in November may offer some clues, though officials here started taking notes
much earlier.
Soon after the London blasts, a team of police officers from Singapore visited London to see
what lessons could be drawn from the tragedy.
Mr Wong was coy about sharing details. "The last thing you want to do is to let the enemy
know what you're doing."
But he added: "We've learned a lot. And in time, we'll share that with others … But looking
at how Londoners reacted to the bombing, and how they went about their normal lives, I think
that is something Singaporeans should learn."
His greatest fear is that if, or when, terrorists succeed in hitting Singapore, its citizens
will flee. "We have to make sure that we can't be defeated by this," he said. "If a bomb
explodes and (people) run away, I think the terrorists will have won. We cannot let
ourselves be defeated by our own doing; we have to stand up and say: 'No, we must persist
and we must carry on.'" — Teo Hwee Nak
Aint he pretty!? He's a dwarf lionfish...
